REMINDER: Medical Expert to Speak on Marijuana Legalization Wednesday Night, April 24 at Town Hall

By:DAVID KNAUF | April 23, 2019

While the bill approving the sale of recreational marijuana still has a way to go before being adopted, we should realize that, at some point in the not-too-distant future, recreational marijuana could very likely be available in Connecticut.

— Darien Health Director David Knauf has a master’s degree in public health, a master of science degree and is a registered environmental health specialist.

To provide residents, and in particular parents, with meaningful information on this important topic, there will be a discussion about marijuana “What About Weed?” on Wednesday, April 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Darien Town Hall Auditorium.

Further Description of the Event

The YWCA Darien-Norwalk in partnership with Communities4Action, Community Fund of Darien, Darien Depot, Darien Health Department and Liberation Programs presents this not-to-be-missed community event.

Experts will discuss how marijuana affects teen brain development, what the long and short term health implications of marijuana use are and whether marijuana is addictive.

Local Health Directors Oppose Legalization

As director of health for the Town of Darien, I am a member of the Connecticut Association of Directors of Health (CADH), a nonprofit organization comprised of the directors of Connecticut’s local health departments.

Local health directors are the statutory agents of the state commissioner of public health and ensure the provision of essential public health services at the local level in Connecticut.

CADH also provides testimony on bills pertaining to public health. The following is the CADH position statement and an excerpt of testimony submitted to the Legislature on the proposed legalization of recreational marijuana:

“While recognizing the potential financial benefits to the State from taxation revenue associated with this industry, the members of CADH oppose the retail sale of marijuana.

“As you are aware, Connecticut and the nation are struggling to make an impact in the opioid crisis. In 2018, over 1,000 of our residents lost their lives to overdoses. This number does not reflect the untold thousands that overdosed and survived to live with the disease of addiction.

“Local health departments have aggressively worked on this issue by collaborating with law enforcement officials, pre-hospital care partners, boards of education, prevention coalitions, elected officials, members of clergy, treatment facilities and countless other disciplines to try to turn the tide in the epidemic.

“While there is a debate about marijuana as a gateway drug, there is no debate that people of all ages, genders and socio-economic backgrounds are affected by the disease of addiction. Allowing the retail sale of marijuana may increase these addiction rates and amplify the current crisis.

“Our residents, communities and personnel are struggling to make an impact in the opioid crisis and adding retail sale of marijuana in our state will likely complicate those efforts.

“However, should the decision be made to approve the recreational sale of marijuana, adequate funding for addiction treatment and educational programs must be allocated from the tax revenue generated by the sale of marijuana and marijuana products.”

More About

The Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson on Friday criticized Darien High School Principal Ellen Dunn for recommending a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center as one of the sources of information students and parents could use in learning about racism in light of events surrounding the George Floyd killing. "Now, ironically, the Southern Poverty Law Center is itself a hate group," Carlson said.

This week's news and links on the COVID-19 pandemic for Darien, as they come in:
LATEST UPDATES: Governor's Friday COVID-19 BRIEFING: Rules for drive-thru graduations, modifications of rules for drive-in religious events; suspension of involuntary discharge of residents from nursing homes or residential care homes to homeless shelters; Phase 2 of CT Reopening moved to June 17 to avoid it happening during Father's Day weekend || Stamford company donates face masks to Person-to-Person
See also:
LATEST DARIEN COVID-19 NEWS: Continual Updates:
May 25 to 31 || May 18 to 24 || May 11 to 17 || May 3 to 10 || April 27 to May 3 || April 20 to 26 || April 13 to 19 || April 5 to 12 || March 30 to April 5
FRIDAY Governor's COVID-19 Briefing
Friday, June 5 — Gov. Ned Lamont provided the following updates as of 6:30 p.m.:
Data updates on testing in Connecticut
The following is a summary of the day-to-day newly reported data on cases, deaths, and tests in Connecticut. It is important to note that these newly reported updates include data that occurred over the last several days to a week.

Post-coronavirus, Gov. Ned Lamont predicts the end of daily commuting as we know it. Lamont told Bloomberg that his New York business buddies tell him they’re saving so much money by having people work from their homes they may cut office space in the city by 30 percent.

With many high school students concerned about the recent police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and dramatic events sparked by it, Darien High School sent an email Thursday morning to parents with web links to information geared toward students on racism and police violence. SEE ALSO: DHS Principal’s Recommended Source for Reading About Racism Denounced on National Fox News Show (June 6)
DHS Principal Ellen Dunn sent the email.

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The Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson on Friday criticized Darien High School Principal Ellen Dunn for recommending a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center as one of the sources of information students and parents could use in learning about racism in light of events surrounding the George Floyd killing. (more…)

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